SALISBURY — Piedmont Floral Galleries and Rufty’s Chrismon Shop will be on TV tonight and Friday night, featured on “North Carolina Weekend” on UNC-TV public television.
The show will air at 9 p.m. today and 8:30 p.m. Friday. Producer Derek Long of Salisbury spent two days taking video of shoppers, filming a bow-tying workshop and interviewing owners Melonie and Brad Beaver and Barbara Rufty, who shared the history of the gold-and-white beaded Christian ornaments popular during Advent.
Owned and operated by the Rufty family for more than 60 years, Piedmont Floral Galleries is a 40,000-square-foot showroom and warehouse on Interstate 85 at Peeler Road. With more than 40 holiday trees and coordinating mantle displays, swags and wreaths on the floor, the business specializes in unique Christmas decorations, high-end artificial trees and greenery and custom floral design.
The gallery includes Rufty’s Chrismon Shop and Rufty’s Christian Symbol Kits, worldwide suppliers of materials, designs and kits for the Christian ornaments. Many church groups make chrismons each year as a Bible study activity, and people fly in from across the country to attend workshops at the gallery.
Melonie Beaver and her mother come up with new designs every year, which are copyrighted.